Since December 3rd, City staff has been working to create the Natural Features Protection (NFP) Ordinance with the assistance of an ad hoc technical committee of local experts. The draft is ready for public review and discussion.

* The NFP Ordinance will apply to allNFP-designated lands in the city, not just the Vermeulen Property. As such, please note that our neighborhood has many other NFP lands; most notably, along Stadium Dr. from Howard St. to Rambling Rd.

2) On Tuesday March 21: A community wide meeting is scheduled at 7:00pm in the VanDusen Room of the Kalamazoo Public Library Downtown Branch to present, discuss, and revise the draft ordinance with the community.

The city's plan is to have the Ordinance completed and present it to the Planning Commission at their April 9 meeting.

If approved there, it will then go to both of the May City Commission meetings - for review at the M 5/6 meeting, and a vote to approve at their M 5/20 meeting.

Note: All three of those meetings are open to the public for their comments.

NOTE: As part of our Plan, we are looking for those streets in our neighborhood that need re-paving! (not looking for "just" potholes!) So...if you know of any streets that really need attention and should be included in our Plan,please EMAIL your thoughts to us (including street and cross street(s) would be very helpful. Thanks!

Our committees have now "finalized" all five committee's goal/actions and have presented them to city staff for discussion and review.

- You can click HERE to see our five committee's 3/19/19 final drafts of identified neighborhood Goals and suggested actions.

Once that process has finished up, the ODWNA will make a final presentation of the Plan to the neighborhood (Via our website, eNews and Winchell FB page) before it goes on to the Planning & City Commissions for approval and incorporation into the Master Plan.

We anticipate a final draft to be ready in the next month or so; we are continuing to work with the city on finalizing roles and responsibilities so we, as a neighborhood, can efficiently and confidently move forward with all of our goals and actions...not just with our partners, but with the city as well.

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Each month, we will keep everyone informed via our eNews, website, Winchell Neighborhood FB page, etc. of our progress as well as reach back out to everyone for additional clarification and review of our progress.

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Each month, we will keep everyone informed via our eNews, website, Winchell Neighborhood FB page, etc. of our progress as well as reach back out to everyone for additional clarification and review of our progress.

You can download a full copy of the City Master Plan and Future Land Use MapHERE

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The Master Plan states that Neighborhood Plans will:• Align with the Strategic Vision and Master Plan at the neighborhood scale.• Develop individual strategies needed to achieve neighborhood completeness.• Establish a unique neighborhood vision, goals, and actions for implementation.• Establish relationships within the neighborhood to support implementation.• Use IK 2025 input from residents as a place to start.

*Neighborhood Crime

What should you do to report something that is of a non-emergency nature? Well, our friends at KDPS tell us you should:

Report it by calling their NON-emergency number: (269) 448-8911

Click on the "Report A Crime" link in every one of our eNews and on our website

​KDPS is here to help us...but they need our help as well! By reporting non-emergency issues, KDPS can track and identify trends in our neighborhood, and not only respond, but understand how to best be pro-active to prevent crimes as well!

*7th Annual ODWNA Car ShowComing This May 15 ~ Cars Wanted!

It's almost that time of year again - time to bring those classic cars out of hibernation, get them fired up, and start enjoying the spring & summer in them!

Our 7th Annual Car Show (again sponsored by Cole/Nissan ...thanks!) will be held Wednesday May 15th, and we would like to see your classic car (25+ years old) entered in it!

We will again have wood-fired pizzas from ​Camzie's Pizza as well as trophies for the car show winners! (We have "People's Choice" trophies - All attendees can vote for their favorite car!)

If you would like to enter your vehicle (no entry fee) or have any questions about our car show, just email Paul ScottHERE

﻿*City Contacts

Sgt. Keaton Nielsen of the Kalamazoo Dept. of Public Safety let us know that KDPS is always here for us. He stressed that if anyone ever has a (non-emergency) question or issue about public safety to not hesitate to contact him. He can be reached here:

As a follow-up to recent neighbor concerns regarding nuisance/quality of life ordinance adherence, we have listed on our Resource Links page the areas of concern as well as the City contact phone number you may call to report any perceived violations. Our City Rental Inspector has assured us that any complaints registered with the city will be followed up on, and the person reporting the violation will remain anonymous.

You can also report violations via the City's website with their Report It! link

Go HEREto read the full meeting minutes of this (or any) of our ODWNA Association meetings​

﻿As always, feel free to email us with your thoughts for the neighborhood!

Join Kzoo Parks for five great days of FUN during Spring Break! Campers in grades K – 7 will take part in creative activities, games, and exciting field trips. Sign your child up for a great week of Spring Break! Complete details are available on the City's website HERE

*Recycle CoachFree App For Personalized Trash, Recycling Info. And More!The City of Kalamazoo has launched of a mobile app (iPhone & Android) and website plug-in containing all of the information residents need to know about residential trash and recycling services, tailored specifically to your neighborhood.

Other features include:

Search function, which allows the user to look up a specific item and find out if it is recyclable or not

The "report-a-problem" feature utilizes the smartphone’s GPS and camera to locate and capture an image of the problem and sends the information directly to city staff.

Receive notifications regarding:

Emergencies (weather-related, water main breaks, boil water advisories)

Trash/recycling schedule changes

Sorting and/or collection tips & reminders

​The app is available for Android and iPhone users and can be downloaded from the App Store and Google Play for free by searching for “Recycle Coach”

*Water Customers Advised to Run Water to Avoid Frozen Water LinesUntil April 1st

The City of Kalamazoo Public Services Department has issued an advisory to its water utility customers. Water services are freezing between the water main in the street and a customer’s home/business due to the depth of the frost in the ground. In some cases, freezing is also occurring on the customers side of the meter due to lack of heat in the structural area around the meter and water line.

Water customers are advised to take all necessary precautions to prevent their water services from freezing and are advised to run their water at a pencil size stream 24 hours a day in a utility tub or sink until April 1st unless otherwise notified. Please note that you should continue to run your water even if there are a few warm days at anytime prior to April 1st.

Symptoms to look for when your pipes or meter may be freezing:

You may experience a slight decrease in water pressure.

Your water may become rusty or cloudy.

Your water will be extremely cold (less than 35 degrees).

History of frozen water services.

​The current service renewal time-frames can be up to three weeks.

For more information please contact Public Services Dispatch water emergency line at 269-337-8148.

*City Public Services InformationThe Spring/Summer 2019 View From The Curbis available and full of very helpful information! Download it HERE

*Upcoming City ProjectsCurious about a project that is happening in the City? Want to find out what street construction projects are planned this year? Wondering about upcoming parks projects?

Projects are identified on an interactive map that includes the project scope and estimate start and completion dates (actual dates are dependent on weather and other factors and may differ). You can also sign up for email updates on road construction at that website that will be provided approximately every two weeks.

*Kalamazoo County Smart911 AvailableNow Available!

Public Safety Officials Encourage Residents to Sign Up For the Free Service That Provides Emergency Responders with More Information in the Event of an EmergencyPublic safety officials in Kalamazoo County announced today that Smart911 is now available to all individuals in Kalamazoo County. Smart911 is a free service that allows individuals and families to sign up online to provide key information to 9-1-1 call takers during an emergency.Smart911 allows citizens to create a Safety Profileat www.smart911.com for their household that includes any information they want 9-1-1 and response teams to have in the event of an emergency. When a citizen makes an emergency call, their Safety Profile is automatically displayed to the 9-1-1 call taker, allowing them to send the right response teams to the right location with the right information.

*Are Your Service Water Pipes Made of Lead?Check the map and database link belowKalamazoo's municipal water system has about 4,300 known lead service lines at about 2,800 addresses out of a total of more than 46,000 service lines in the system.

At about 1,600 addresses, both the yard service lines and street service lines are lead. Of those addresses with one or the other, most of the lead pipes are yard service lines, according to city records.

You can go to an MLive article HERE to access the map and/or search the database to see if your address is listed.

Lead and Copper ProgramThe City offers free lead and copper testing kits to City of Kalamazoo water customers. In an effort to streamline the City’s Lead and Copper program and respond timely to customers, the City requests that all calls and inquiries be directed to (269) 337-8550.

==================Here is a guide from the EPA, supplied to us by the City, that explains:• How lead gets into the body• About health effects of lead• What you can do to protect your family• Where to go for more information​Protect Your Family From Lead in Your Home

4) The city has created an online newsletter. This bi-monthly publication will contain information about what is happening around the City and include news, alerts, meeting schedules & agendas, and events. Go HERE to sign up.

ODWNA Statement of Purpose

-Preserve and enhance the neighborhood living concept in the area.-Protect the natural beauty of the area.-Encourage the beautification, physical well-being and neighborhood spirit of the residential area.-Constructively assist the Kalamazoo City and County Planning Commissions.-Provide a forum for open and frank discussion of different points of view on neighborhood development.-Provide for communication on matters of neighborhood interest to residents.

The Oakland Drive/Winchell Neighborhood Association was founded in 1973 in response to the City of Kalamazoo's proposal to widen Oakland Drive, which would have required the removal of many trees.